Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1887-12-02
GATHERING AT THE TREASURY
DOOR.


GATHERING AT THE TREASURY
DOOR,
"Speak your opinions of to-day" says
Carlisle, "in words hard as rocks, and your
opinions of tomorrow in words Just as
hard, even though your opinions Of to-mor-
row may contradict your opinions of to-
day" There is fund of true wisdom in
this beautiful maxim, if men would appre-
ciate it, 1t would correct a vast deal of
error in politics, in religion, in philosophy,
in the social relations Of life. Times change,
and struggle against it as they may, mems
convictions will change with the times.
The man who says that his opinions never
alter, must be either a knave or a fool.
For thinking man to remain stationary,
when everything else is on the change and
move is simple impossibility. These
changes are the result of human energy,
in their moral prestige, their progressive
influence, through every vein and artery of
governmental and social compacts, affecting
political institutions, shaping national policy
and forcing, by their resistless demonstra-
tons, change and mutations OF opinions
upon all men.
When the Blair educational bill was first
introduced in the Senate ofthe United States
we were favorably impressed with its pro-
visions and so expressed ourselves. The
developments Of time, however, and wider
-a1d-mofs tthofurghf investigation ii IT,
ings, lead US TO the conclusion that the pas
sage of this bill would be attended with un.
told evils
II calls for $4,000, 900 the first grab. What
more will follow can only be estimated by
the average rapacity and capacity of the
average jobber when he once gets into the
places where the public money is kept.
No computation yet puts the grab at less than
$l2O,0OOOOO before the so-called bureau gets
thoroughly to work, and gets its paid army
of federal lean kline fully fastened upon
their grazing grounds and their pastures.
Aside from the enormity of such appro-
priation, the way it world have to be voted
might make one WISH despair Of the repub-
tic. Lis fashionable In certain quarters, we
know, TO declare in and out OF season that
the war killed States Rights. 1t did mo-
such thing. Grantism tried Its best to put
1t TO death, but 1t only arose the stronger
from the contest and the more resolutef in
the defense of the constitution. But What
the armed legions Of Grant failed to do,
marshaled by jackboots and demijohns,
smelling much of the barracks and more of
the gutter, the South is about herself to do
for the bare and ignoble sake Of federal
spoils. The South was mainly instrumental
in killing this measure in 1867, but the
South has been getting weak and more
warbing on the subject ever since. The
evidences multiply that this bill will be
pressed at the next session of Congress with
more persistence than before. 1t is pitiful
TO hear the Gradys and Gables Of to-day
telling what veterans remain of the fifty
battles and their children after them, that
q new South has been born, buttressed upon
1adtersdlssm. So a new Rome was also born,
buttressed upon materialism. Carthage,
doomed and destroyed, laid the curse of
luxury upon what had been frugal, hardy,
war-like people. 1t ate out their national
life, wasted their virility, and made of their
so-callsd Eternal City city of Lybarites,
prostitutes, Phallic worshipers and slaves.
6ztUisgternaf monoiogue Of Carthage must
be destroyed" sounded as the croaking of
raven over temple Of dead gods, or house
top beneath which the dead were being
shrouded.
In the name of liberty and all that is
pure, free and holy in local self-goyernment,
can not nation, or part of one, become
rich, happy and progressive without selling
itself, body and soul, to the devil of centrali-
cation. Must all the ideas, tenents, pro-
lessions and principles of one hundred
years be bartered away for single mess of
pottagei And yet this is just what supreme
reliance upon the federal authorities means.
Is 1t either fair or true to suppose that If
Congress is called upon by the States to
take charge bodily of their internal affairs,
Congress will not In time play the part of
King Stork to perfection? Every page of
the worlds history proves the danger to
people of ever surrendering single right.
All are surrendered in this country when
the individual gives place to the mass, the
family to the State, and the State to the
general government.